Gia Lai: Bustling Mid-Autumn Festival

In house number 167A Phan Boi Chau (Quy Nhon ward), Mr. Nguyen Minh Tu (born in 1992) is still working hard on the rattan frame, paper and paint. Born into a family with a tradition of making lions, since 1992, his parents started making lions.

In 2002, he took over the profession and taught himself how to make lion statues made from rattan frames, papier-mâché, painting, polishing, and attaching eyes, pearls, feathers, etc. Because all the steps are done by hand, it requires patience and meticulousness. Therefore, a lion statue usually takes about 10 days to complete. To improve his skills, he often travels to Malaysia and China to exchange and learn techniques.

From that house, many lion heads are sent everywhere, not only to serve the Mid-Autumn Festival in the province but also to many northern provinces, even following Vietnamese people to foreign countries as a gift carrying the soul of the homeland. For him, making lion heads is not only a profession passed down from father to son, but also a way to elevate traditional products, so that each lion head becomes more sophisticated and durable.

As one of the young people making lion dances with Mr. Tu, Tran Huu Loc (4th year student, Quy Nhon University) came to lion dances out of love and self-discovery. Loc said: “At first, I watched videos, then learned on Youtube. In 2016, I joined the Van Phat lion dance troupe. I learned step by step, from weaving ribs, covering the meat to decorating the lion head. Each step is difficult, but it is the patience that makes the joy.”

During 25 years of operation, the Ky Hoan Lion Dance Club (headquartered at 127 Phan Boi Chau, Quy Nhon ward; operating at the Youth Activity House of Quy Nhon Nam ward) has shown its love for this sport through inheritance and constant innovation.

The club currently has about 40 members aged 13-25, practicing regularly in the evenings. The precious thing is that after 25 years, the first generation is still attached, passing on the passion to the next generation. Thanks to that, Ky Hoan is not only a lion dance team but also a place to connect and nurture the passion of many young people who are passionate about lion dance.

According to Mr. Ho Lam Thuan - Deputy Head of the Ky Hoan Lion Dance Club: This year, the club has saved money to buy more lion heads and new props, and created many performances such as LED dragons, glow-in-the-dark dragons, tree climbing lion dances to pick lucky branches... to serve the people, especially children.

Recently, at the Youth Activity Center of Quy Nhon Nam Ward, the training atmosphere of the Club has become more and more bustling. Athletes diligently practice difficult technical movements such as tumbling and moving on iron pillars over 2 meters high. Every time they complete a movement, the cheers of their teammates resound, adding motivation to each other.

As one of the young faces who has been associated with Ky Hoan for a long time, Ho Dang Khoi (born 2008, Quy Nhon Nam ward) shared: “To practice Mai Hoa Thung, I had to practice on the ground for 3-4 months, then another 1-2 years practicing on the trellis. At first, I was scared, but the more I practiced, the more familiar I became, and the more I wanted to conquer it.”

Not only men, but also women contribute to the diversity of the lion dance team. Vo Thi Nhu Quynh (born 2007, Quy Nhon ward) has been pursuing lion dance for nearly 2 years, practicing lion, dragon and drum.

Quynh confided: “When I first learned to climb a tree, I was very scared because the tree trunk was slippery and I was also afraid of heights. Thanks to the encouragement of my colleagues in the troupe, I was able to perform for the audience. Once, when I went to a performance and heard the audience compliment my daughter on her good lion dance, I felt both happy and proud.”